Remsen man to head United Flight 93 group

A Remsen man whose brother died during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will head the organization planning a Pennsylvania memorial for United Flight 93 crash victims.

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REMSEN — A Remsen man whose brother died during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will head the organization planning a Pennsylvania memorial for United Flight 93 crash victims.

Gordon Felt's brother, Edward Felt, died on Flight 93. On Saturday, Gordon Felt was elected president of the Families of Flight 93.

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Click here to visit the United Flight 93 memorial
The group hopes to dedicate a permanent memorial in Somerset, Pa., by the 10th anniversary of the crash, Gordon Felt, 44, said.

“It is important for Americans to remember and honor the memory of our fallen heroes on the actual site,” he said.

Plans for the memorial include six design elements to preserve the integrity of the land, Felt said.

They are:

Tower of Voices: Rings of white pines will surround a tower of 40 large wind chimes tall enough to be seen from the nearby highway. The sound of the chimes would represent the 40 victims that died when their plane crashed in the field after being overtaken by terrorists.

The Bowl: A large, existing landform roughly circular in shape would form the heart of the memorial and park.

40 Memorial Groves: Forty groves, each with 40 red and sugar maple trees, would be located behind the walkway.

Sacred Ground: The ground would be the focus of the bowl in which visitors can closely view the crash site from a plaza along its edge.

Western Overlook: The overlook contains floor slabs of the mining operation buildings that were located here and would remain to evoke the memory of the structures.

Gordon Felt said the project is not just a personal memorial for his brother, but also for all the heroes on board Flight 93.

“These people were complete strangers when they boarded that flight, and they bonded in their mission to stop the terrorists,” he said. “They were truly the first soldiers against this war on terror, and the memorial is to honor them as great symbols of freedom, not just America, but around the world.”

Gordon Felt, who served as the organization's treasurer since 2003, will serve as president for one year in the unpaid position, he said.

As treasurer, Gordon Felt attended the first public screening of the movie, “United 93,” where he represented the victim's families on stage before the screening.